Forest Frolic

 It's starting to feel a bit like spring here.  Above, admire Alina's floral artwork.  Right underneath the crown, you'll see Tassia's second missing tooth.  Below, this is the picnic that Sybille invited me to:

Bon appetit!

 Over our recent vacation, we went to see the Hermione, that was making a stop in La Rochelle.  This ship is the exact reconstruction of the ship that the General de La Fayette used to bring troops over to the English colonies that were fighting for their independence.  We thought that as a Franco-American family with a little passion for history, that this was a must-see.

 So, here she is, and below is a view of La Rochelle:

 Here she is at sunset:

 This is in case they meet any enemies (and also, they realized that they needed the weight of the canons to make the boat navigable.)

She'll be in NYC for July 4th, if all goes on schedule!

All Through the Night

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Market 2014

 Today was the annual Christmas market in our neck of the woods.  We, as usually, unashamedly took advantage of the free pony rides.

 And the free face painting.  Did I mention unashamedly?

 We actually shelled out the money for three tickets on the merry-go-round...

That Alina had to pedal herself!
Actually, the guy running the thing was on it pedalling, as well.  But it was in fact pedal-operated.  Happy Christmas season!

 I am very, very happy to announce that I am (practically) at the end of a very, very, very long and drawn-out sewing project.

 Anybody out there ever checked out the price of a travel harp cover?  You don't want to.  I took one look at it and thought, "Hey, I can buy a lot of material for THAT price.  So, a few months and many, many hours of work later...

 "Princess's raincoat" is finally finished.  Well, almost.  It's usable, anyway.  And, here is Princess with my princess.  Everyone DID notice the color-coordination, right?  Alina insisted on wearing The Dress the day Princess's raincoat made its first outing.  Yes, Alina and Princess went to music theory class in matching outfits.

 And here's another princess.

And yet another princess.  The tear, by the way, was because she thought I wasn't going to take her picture.  (Notice the now-naked harp in the background.)





I can finally move the sewing machine off of the counter, and maybe even pick up all the bits of red and white material off of the floor.  Just in time for sewing costumes for the school Christmas show.  Sigh.....